Wwii

German President Joachim Gauck joined his Polish counterpart, President Bronislaw Komorowski, in northwestern Poland on Monday evening for a commemoration ceremony marking the 75th anniversary of the outbreak of the Second World War . "I feel a deep shame and a deep compassion for those who suffered under the Germans," Gauck told those gathered at the ceremony on Monday evening, recounting the particularly grave losses suffered by Poland under Nazi terror. He underlined how the countries' relationships had changed, namely, through reconciliation, saying: "Only [nations] that respect the independence and self-determination of others live truly in peace with their neighbors." The event was held on the Westerplatte peninsula, which lies just under 15 kilometers (9 miles) north of the Polish city Gdansk, where the German battleship Schleswig-Holstein fired on the Polish fort in the early hours of September 1, 1939. The battle marked the beginning of WWII, which would claim over 50 … [Read more...] about German, Polish leaders unite in commemoration of outbreak of WWII

"Even if our generation is not in itself guilty (for WWII) we bear the responsibility for all our history," German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder said in the joint interview with Russian President Vladimir Putin, which appeared in the German daily Bild on Friday. "Germany caused and started one of the worst wars in the history of humanity," he said. Schröder said Germans had suffered during and after the war, the end of which meant "the misery of refugees and a new lack of freedom" in the country. Putin acknowledged German suffering too. "Of course German civilians suffered but this was neither the Soviet Union's nor the Red Army's fault. They didn't start the war," he said. "The German people were in many ways victims of a lack of responsibility on behalf of their politicians at that time. They were poisoned by the ideology of National Socialism and led into carnage," said Putin. "For millions of ordinary Germans this military adventure became a personal tragedy." … [Read more...] about Germany and Russia Honor WWII Losses

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe sent a sacred tree branch as an offering to the Yasukuni military shrine on Monday to mark the 71st anniversary of the end of World War II. The offering was presented in Abe's name as president of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), rather than as prime minister. "This was out of respect to those who gave their lives for the country," said Yasutoshi Nishimura, an LDP aide. Abe did not visit the shrine personally, perhaps in an effort to thwart controversy with neighboring countries China and South Korea. His last visit to the shrine in 2013 drew sharp remarks from both countries. The Yasukuni Shrine honors Japan's military dead, including 14 Japanese leaders who were convicted as war criminals. Visits to the shrine often spark outrage with Japan's neighbors who view the shrine as a glorification of the nation's wartime aggression. Strained relations Abe repeated his pledge to not allow the tragedy of war to be repeated during a state memorial later on … [Read more...] about Japanese PM sends offering to controversial war shrine on WWII anniversary

The damages in question date back more than 70 years. Under the German occupation in WWII, thousands of Greeks were murdered, infrastructure was destroyed, and Greece's central bank was forced into giving Germany a loan. Germany never reimbursed individual claims. Berlin now considers the case closed - both legally and politically. Martin Jäger, spokesman for the German Finance Ministry, made that very clear by saying, "We will not enter negotiations with the Greeks." Nonetheless, government spokesman Steffen Seibert also stressed on Wednesday, "Germany is absolutely and constantly aware of its historical responsibility for the harm that National Socialism caused to many countries in Europe." The German government has repeatedly pointed out that 115 million deutschmarks were paid out under an agreement in 1960 with several European governments. Furthermore, Berlin argues there was an extensive system of compensatory measures in place that Greece also benefitted from. No … [Read more...] about Berlin faces new WWII reparations demands

In an interview with German news magazine Der Spiegel published Tuesday, leading politicians from the junior partner in Germany's governing coalition have lent their support to the idea that Germany should pay reparations from World War II to Greece. "It's about recognizing the fact that we committed a serious injustice in Greece," Gesine Schwan, chairwoman of the Social Democratic Party (SPD) values committee, told Spiegel. The damages in question date back more than 70 years. Under the German occupation in WWII, thousands of Greeks were murdered, infrastructure was destroyed, and Greece's central bank was forced into giving Germany a loan. Germany never reimbursed individual claims. Matter closed for Berlin The German government has repeatedly pointed out that 115 million deutschmarks were paid out under an agreement in 1960 with several European governments. Furthermore, Berlin argues there was an extensive system of compensatory measures in place that Greece also benefitted … [Read more...] about German coalition politicians break ranks on Greek WWII reparations

There's little unity these days among the nations that formed the anti-fascist military coalition seven decades ago. Spats surrounding the celebration ceremonies have reflected today's political conflicts, in particular between the West and Russia over the latter's de facto annexation of Crimea. International leaders including US President Barack Obama, British Prime Minister David Cameron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel are boycotting the massive Russian military parade in Moscow on May 9. Russian President Vladimir Putin for his part declined to turn up at commemorations of the 70th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz death camp in Poland on January 27. Putin was angry at Polish suggestions that Auschwitz was actually liberated by Ukrainian units and that commemorations of the end of World War II be held in London or New York instead of Moscow. In April Poland - which associates the end of the war not just with the defeat of Nazism but with 44 years of Soviet … [Read more...] about Bickering between Russia, West mars WWII commemorations

A German parliamentary legal team said it believes a 27-year-old treaty, signed around the time of Germany's reunification, settled all remaining issues related to Nazi-era crimes, according to a report published by a German newspaper on Friday, The legal experts, who provide independent advice to the Bundestag, Germany's lower house of parliament, said Poland "had, during the treaty negotiations, at least implicitly waived their right to assert them (claims for reparations)." Read more: For Berlin, the question of Polish reparations was settled long ago The legal team stressed that the treaty "blocks any reparation demands against Germany to the present day," the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ) reported. 'Claims statute-barred' The experts cited the Treaty on the Final Settlement With Respect to Germany, signed in September 1990, which saw the four powers - France, the Soviet Union, Britain and the United States - that occupied the country at the end of the Second World … [Read more...] about Poland has no right to WWII reparations, German lawyers say

Military vehicles rumbling through what is usually a well-to-do, quiet neighborhood quickly drew a crowd of neighbors and spectators. They gathered to see the bizarre sight of a Bundeswehr tank dragging a Nazi Wehrmacht tank through the quiet streets of a residential area in the Baltic Sea resort of Heikendorf, near Kiel, on Thursday. Twenty Bundeswehr soldiers worked for nine hours on a sweltering hot day to haul the 40-ton Panzer from the 78-year-old collector's basement with the help of two military recovery vehicles. The soldiers then moved the aged vehicle, which was no longer equipped with treads, onto a flat bed truck to bring the WWII tank to the Bundeswehr Putlos military training area. Kiel prosecutors are investigating the owner of a WWII tank for a possible violation of the War Weapons Control Act. It wasn't the end of the Bundswehr's mission, however, as the basement hid another military vehicle usually presented in a military museum: an 88 mm flak cannon. The size of … [Read more...] about German authorities seize WWII heavy weapons collection

German authorities alerted beach-goers to the importance of proper pebble-stowing techniques on Saturday after a woman accidentally pocketed a chunk of white phosphorus. A 41-year-old found the piece nestled in wet sand while taking a stroll along the Elbe riverbank in the town of Wedel on Friday evening, police said in a statement. Read more: Wartime ammunition still rotting in German waters Mistaking the highly flammable substance for a piece of amber or other semi-precious stone, the woman placed the centimeter-long chunk in her pocket and moved on. As the phosphorus dried, it came in contact with the air, igniting and setting fire to her jacket, authorities said. Other people nearby alerted the woman to the fact her jacket, which was lying beside her on a bench, was burning. Although her jacket was severely damaged, the woman remained uninjured, the police statement said, adding that the material came from a World War II-era incendiary device. Firefighters then scoured the beach … [Read more...] about Woman mistakes WWII-era munition for precious stone on German beach

A private collection of World War II-era grenades and other munitions exploded in a garage in the German town of Hennef, east of Bonn, on Monday, leading to a large-scale security operation and the arrest of the owner, police said on Tuesday. Police said authorities were called after an explosion was heard at a home in Hennef. Upon arrival, they found a garage in flames and heard still more explosions. Fearing further blasts, security authorities cleared a wide area around the home, shutting down a stretch of railway and highway and evacuating several homes. When explosives experts arrived on the scence, they discovered that a crate of grenades from the Second World War had been stored in the garage and had exploded, apparently owing to the unseasonably high temperatures currently prevailing in Germany. Read: German authorities seize WWII heavy weapons collection Weapons offenses The 51-year-old owner of the munitions, who now faces possible charges of violating … [Read more...] about Pre-summer heat explodes WWII-era munitions in German town